


Small Hours

by OneTrueEmotion



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bffs Nat and Bucky, Bucky Barnes Feels, Domestic, Gen, Insomnia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:25:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5724271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneTrueEmotion/pseuds/OneTrueEmotion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha smiles at him as she rounds the corner, trusting that he'll be able to see her in the faint glow of the moon coming in through the window behind him. Without saying a word she prepares two mugs of warm milk and then joins Bucky on the bench at the rear of the breakfast nook.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Small Hours

Bucky can't sleep.

That's not unusual, his body isn't used to sleeping. He'd figured he'd done more sleeping than anything else, but Bruce tells him that being in stasis is totally different from sleeping. Over the past seventy years he's probably only slept a handful of hours here and there, short naps to recharge on training sessions and missions going longer than seventy two hours. 

He used to just walk the hallways of the Avengers tower, but a couple times he'd wandered into restricted areas and set off alarms, so now he just sits in the kitchen with the lights off and waits. 

Usually Steve is up first, always was an early riser, and he would brew up some coffee and sit across from Bucky and reminisce about the old days. Bucky would listen quietly, allow Steve's voice and stories to wash over him and occasionally pluck a memory out of the rubble of Bucky’s mind, gently brushing off the dust.

These footsteps are far too light to be Steve's though, and it's far too early. Natasha smiles at him as she rounds the corner, trusting that he'll be able to see her in the faint glow of the moon coming in through the window behind him. Without saying a word she prepares two mugs of warm milk and then joins Bucky on the bench at the rear of the breakfast nook.

He takes the proffered mug with his left hand, his fingers clinking dully on the ceramic, as Natasha sidles up to his right side, making a spot for herself under his arm.

They sip their milk in silence and it's… nice. 

The thing is, Natasha just _gets_ him. She gets that sometimes his head is filled with roaring white noise, or sometimes he needs a couple minutes to remind himself when or where he is, or sometimes he's filled with so much regret and self loathing that even a kind word can send him spiralling. Steve means well, but he's always trying to _fix_ Bucky, make him like how he used to be. Natasha lets him know that he'll be okay, but in his own time and on his own terms. Just having her there, touching him, trusting him, is enough to quiet the nightmares that are always playing on repeat in his head.

Some time later--one hour, several hours, he's not sure--another set of footsteps approaches. Natasha is tucked into his body, her head on his shoulder and her hands clutching her empty mug in front of his chest, and he can feel her lips curl into a smile as Sam's voice, humming some popular tune, reaches them. 

The humming turns into lyrics as Sam strides into the kitchen, flicking the lights on in some dramatic dance move without even looking towards the breakfast nook. “When we were younger and free, I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet.” 

He dances his way over to the fridge, sticking his head in and shaking his ass as he pulls out a carton of eggs. “There's such a difference between us, and a million miles.”

“HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIIII--AAAHHHH!” Sam's big note turns into a yelp as he spins and catches sight of Bucky and Natasha, tucked away into the corner. He jumps into a defensive stance, holding the carton of eggs up like a weapon, and Bucky can feel Natasha's entire body trembling, trying to hold back her laughter.

“Jesus Mary and Joseph, you two trying to kill a guy?” Sam cries, clutching his chest.

Bucky’s face is stony as he replies, deadpan. “If that was my mission, you'd have been dead a dozen times over.”

Sam gapes at him, his mouth opening and closing a couple times, unsure how to respond to that. It's the last straw for Natasha, who explodes in laughter, doubling over with her head in Bucky's lap. Bucky allows his lips to curl up at the edges, a hint of a smile, and Sam relaxes, glaring and pointing the egg carton at Bucky. “That was mean. No breakfast for you.”

“Did I hear breakfast?” Steve says as he strides into the room. He looks over to where Natasha is still tucked under Bucky's arm, still giggling and clutching her stomach with the hand still holding her mug, wiping tears out of her eyes with the other. The look he gives Bucky is so tender and fond that Bucky has to look away for a minute, and when he looks back Steve has moved to the stove to help Sam with the eggs.

Natasha settles back into his side, and as he watches Steve and Sam shove playfully at each other he can't help but think about how lucky he is. Sure, he's got a fucked up past, his present isn't exactly normal or easy, and there is still a lot of hard work and atonement in his future, but this… surrounded by people who care about him and want to help him stay on the right track… Bucky doesn't think it could get any better than this.


End file.
